Records Retention & Disposition Flashcards
7 cards from real CRM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Records Retention & Disposition flashcards as text
Which document formally authorizes the destruction of records that have met their retention requirements?
Answer: Disposition authorization form
A disposition authorization form (or records destruction authorization) must be approved before any eligible records can be destroyed.
A company receives a litigation hold notice after its general retention schedule calls for destroying certain emails next week. What is the correct action?
Answer: Suspend destruction of all potentially relevant records immediately
A litigation hold supersedes any existing retention schedule, requiring immediate suspension of destruction for potentially relevant records.
The term 'vital records' in records management refers to records that are:
Answer: Essential to resume or continue operations after a disaster
Vital records are those necessary for an organization to continue or resume critical operations following a disaster or emergency.
Which retention trigger is based on the date an action or event occurs rather than the date a record was created?
Answer: Event-based trigger
An event-based trigger starts the retention clock when a specific event happens, such as contract expiration or employee termination.
Under US federal regulations, employer payroll records must generally be retained for a minimum of how many years?
Answer: 3 years
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to retain payroll records for at least 3 years.
What is the primary purpose of a records retention schedule?
Answer: To document how long each record series must be kept and its final disposition
A retention schedule identifies each record series, specifies its retention period, and defines the final disposition action (destroy, transfer, archive).
Which method of destruction is most appropriate for confidential paper records containing personally identifiable information (PII)?
Answer: Cross-cut or micro-cut shredding
Cross-cut or micro-cut shredding renders PII unreadable and unrecoverable, meeting most regulatory standards for secure destruction.